There Are Reports Of Naughty Rice Milling, Prabowo: Seize And Leave It To The Cooperative To Be Run

President Prabowo launched the Red and White Kopdes (Photo: screenshot of the youtube setpres)

JAKARTA - President Prabowo Subianto emphasized his commitment to curbing naughty business practices in the food sector, especially those carried out by large rice mills.

Unmitigated, the state will confiscate the milling business. This was conveyed by the President in the Launch of 80,000 Red and White Villages Cooperatives, which was broadcast online, Monday, July 21.

"I received a report, there were naughty rice pangolins. The strange thing is that big rice mills are the naughty ones. That's right, you think the government doesn't have teeth. I will confiscate them and I will hand them over to the cooperative to run them. And I'm not wrong, I'm right because they are looking for extraordinary benefits," said Prabowo.

Prabowo said that this confiscation refers to Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution which is the highest legal source and can be used as the basis for legal action.

"I am open to the 1945 Constitution, Article 33, the production branches that are important for the state and master the lives of the people are controlled by the state. I ask the opinion of the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court and all the chairmen of the Supreme Court. The 1945 Constitution is the highest legal source in Indonesia? All the judges at the Supreme Court confirmed it. The highest legal source. Then I asked, Article 33 and its verses need to be interpreted or not? or the Indonesian language is clear. They said it was clear," he said.

On this basis, Prabowo emphasized that rice and the rice milling sector are included in the category of strategic production branches that must be controlled by the state for the benefit of the community.

"This means that rice pangolins are important for the state and those who control the lives of many people. If the rice pangolins don't want to be orderly, they don't want to obey the interests of the state, so I use this legal source, I will confiscate the rice pangolins," he said.

He added that this step was taken not without reason. The President revealed that there were reports of one rice mill that made a profit of up to IDR 2 trillion per month at each harvest season. According to him, this practice is detrimental to the wider community and is contrary to the spirit of economic justice.

"I received a report on one profit rice pangolin each harvest of IDR 2 trillion per month. We have arranged it, once I issue this intention, the price goes up again, they immediately buy (the price of unhulled rice according to government regulations) IDR 6,500," said Prabowo.

Prabowo again warned that the government would not remain silent about business practices that harm the people. The state, according to him, must be present and act decisively to protect the basic needs of the community, especially food.